Across Africa, Farmers Are Adopting Regenerative Agricultural Practices that Support Food Sovereignty Amid Global Instability

Key Takeaways

• Fertilizer price spikes push African farmers toward regenerative practices
• Green manure crops like gliricidia and calliandra improve soil health for free
• Community savings groups fund local processing plants, enhancing food sovereignty
• USDA allocated $700 million to U.S. regenerative agriculture pilot program
• NGOs report higher yields and profits in Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mali

Pulse Analysis

The recent surge in global fertilizer prices—exacerbated by conflicts in the Middle East and the lingering effects of the Russia‑Ukraine war—has exposed the fragility of Africa’s reliance on imported inputs. Traditional “green‑revolution” models, which prioritize high‑yield monocultures and chemical fertilizers, are increasingly seen as unsustainable in a world where supply chains can be disrupted overnight. As nations grapple with food security, the concept of food sovereignty is gaining traction, emphasizing local control over production, distribution, and value capture.

Regenerative agriculture offers a pragmatic pathway to this sovereignty. In Kenya’s Kisumu region, farmers are planting leguminous cover crops such as gliricidia, calliandra, and canavalia, which act as natural green manure—enhancing soil organic matter, fixing nitrogen, and retaining moisture without added cost. Early data from World Neighbors’ partners in Burkina Faso and Mali show yield gains of up to 30 percent and profit increases that stem from reduced input expenses and higher market prices for nutrient‑rich produce. These practices also align with climate‑adaptation goals, as healthier soils sequester carbon and improve resilience against drought.

Financing remains a critical lever. Savings and credit groups, now common across low‑income economies, are mobilizing community capital to build poultry processing facilities and other value‑adding enterprises, thereby keeping profits within local ecosystems. The USDA’s $700 million pilot program signals that even high‑income governments recognize the scalability of regenerative methods. For donors and policymakers, the imperative is clear: shift resources from large‑scale industrial agriculture subsidies toward grassroots initiatives that empower farmers, secure supply chains, and foster a more resilient global food system.